Coin controlled ball teeing machine



May 26, 1953 J. MOZEL 2,639,919

COIN CONTROLLED BALL TEEING MACHINE Filed Jan. 24, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JO E MO Z E L ATTORNEY May 26', 1953 ,J. MOZEL COIN CONTROLLED BALL TEEING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1949 INVENTOR.

JO E M O 2 EL ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIN CONTROLLED BALL TEEING MACHINE Joe Mozel, Portland, Ores.

Application January 24, 1949, Serial No. 72,339

3 Claims.

This invention relates to coin controls and is l particularly adapted for controlling the operation the operation of the automatic golf ball teeing machine by a coin actuated starting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in this coin actuated starting mechanism for predetermining the number of balls to be teed by each coin deposited in the coin receiving box associated with the timing mechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide a coin controlled mechanism for controlling the operation of my automatic golf ball tee as disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 750,903, now Patent Number 2,520,952.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of my new improved coin control for golf ball teeing machines.

Figure 2 is a front view of the control device illustrating the golf ball teeing machine in broken line position, parts of the control broken away forconvenience of illustration.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view of parts of the mechanism shown in a different position than that illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective fragmentary detail of this mechanism clarifying its construction and method of mounting.

Figure '7 is a wiring diagram including parts of the control, illustrating the method of operation.

Referring more specifically to the drawings:

My new and improved coin control consists of the control and timing mechanism unit I and the coin actuator 2 connected together by wiring 3, referring to Figure 1. In Figure 2 I illustrate how the control and timing unit I is mounted to my automatic golf ball teeing machine by the screws 4, the machine being illustrated in broken lines.

Part of my control unit consists of a cam 5 which is mounted and keyed to the shaft 6 of the golf ball teeing machine. The shaft 6 revolves one revolution each time a ball is teed, and by referring to my pending application Serial No. 750,903, now Patent Number 2,520,952, the operation of this shaft is explained in detail.

The control and timing unit 1 consists of a case 1 with a cover plate 8 removably mounted thereon. A switch 9 is contained within the case I and is adapted to open or close the electric supply circuit within the golf ball teeing machine. When this switch is opened the machine will not operate, but when this switch is closed the machine will operate until the said switch is again opened. The opening and closing of the switch 9 is controlled by the actuating bar It! in the following manner.

The actuating bar It! is slidably mounted within the guide ways ll, consisting of angle bars, best illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4-. A cam actuated bar 42 is pivotally mounted within the casing I at [3 at its one end, having its opposite end resting upon the cam 5, which as stated above is fixedly secured to the shaft 3 of the golf ball teeing machine. Each time the shaft 6 is rotated one revolution in the teeing of a golf ball, it will raise the bar 12, which in turn raises the bar M which is pivotally mounted at IE to the casing l and having a pawl is pivotally mounted to its opposite end at IT.

When the bar I 4 is raised by the bar it through the action of the spring connection It it will raise the actuating bar In by the pawl I5 engaging the teeth 19 of the said actuating bar, raising the said bar a predetermined amount depending upon the position of the adjustable stop screw 20. The bar is held in this position by the looking pawl 2|, which is pivotally mounted to the case 1 at 22.

Each time the shaft 6 revolves in the teeing of a golf ball the actuating bar is raised a predetermined amount until its end 23 engages the switch bar 24 of the switch 9, at which time it will open the switch 9 breaking the electric current supply to the golf ball teeing machine rendering the same inoperative.

When it is desired to tee and drive golf balls from the machine a coin is dropped into the coin box actuator 2. Referring particularly to Figure 7, the coin 25 will follow the chute 26 contacting the switch bar 21 closing the switch 28, which will energize the solenoid 29 through the electric supply conductors 30 and plug-in assembly Ell. The switch 28 is only momentarily closed, but when the solenoid 29 pulls the bar 32 towards the said solenoid it will pull the link 33 with the same.

The link 33 is pivotally connected to the bar 32 at 34 and has a hook 35 which engages the pawl 2|, pulling the said pawl with the pawl 16 into engagement with the locking latch 3t. This will permit the switch actuating bar [0 to drop to the position shown in Figure 5. When this happens the cam 5 will be holding the bar 12 as indicated in Figure 2 and the end 16A of the pawl 3 IS in engagement with the locking latch 36 as illustrated in Figure 5.

When the golf ball, not here shown, is removed from the tee, the shaft 6 will begin to rotate in the direction of the arrow, lowering the bar I2 and allowing the end 16A of the pawl 16 to release itself from the latch 36, due to the fact that the stop pin 44 limits the travel of the pawl 36. This permits the engagement of the pawls l6 and 2| with the teeth [9 of the actuating bar. When the actuating bar is allowed to lower it permits the switch bar 24 of the switch 9 to permit the said switch to close completing an electric circuit through the golf ball teeing machine, so that as the balls are driven from the tee the machine will operate, teeing another ball and will keep on teeing balls until the actuating bar [0 again reaches its uppermost position engaging the switch bar 24, stopping the machine.

Due to the fact that the solenoid 29 is only energized when a coin momentarily closes the switch 28, the spring 31 will return the bar 32 to the position shown in Figure 2, allowing the pawls l6 and 2i to reengage the teeth IQ of the actuating bar It] so that each time the cam raises the cam actuating bar l2 it will raise the bar 14, together with the pawl I6 which will raise the switch actuating bar [0 the predetermined amount while the holding pawl 2| will hold the actuating bar at this point until the same is further raised by the action of the cam 5.

An adjustable stop and indicator 38 is guided within the slot 39 of the cover plate 8. This stop or indicator has a stop bar 40 extending through the slot and in alignment with the bottom 4| of the actuating bar H). In order to determine the number of golf balls to be teed, the stop is adjusted on the scale 42 and locked in place by the locking nut 43. This will determine the amount that the actuating bar drops within its guide ways H and the length of time it will take to raise this bar for actuating the switch 9, breaking the electric supply circuit tothe golf ball teeing machine as above mentioned and described.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A golf ball teeing machine having a bail feeding mechanism, a normally closed switch controlling the operation of said ball feeding mechanism, a movably supported switch openin member movable toward and retractable from said switch, means operated by the ball feeding mechanism to intermittently move the member in a given direction toward the switch upon each feeding operation to eventually open the switch after the feeding of a. predetemiined number of balls, and coin controlled means for releasing the member moving means whereby said member may be retracted in the opposite direction for repeat movement.

2. A game apparatus comprising a ball feeding mechanism including a driven shaft, a normally closed switch energizing the operation of said driven shaft, a toothed member mounted for movement relative to said switch for opening said switch, a cam operated by said driven shaft, pawl means engageable with said toothed member, a cam follower connected with said pawl means and operated by said cam to actuate said pawl means to intermittently advance said toothed member toward said switch each time a ball is fed and eventually open said switch after the feeding of a predetermined number of balls, coin controlled mechanism, and means operated by said coin controlled mechanism for disengaging said pawl means from said toothed member to enable retraction of said toothed member and permit normal closing of said switch.

3. A game apparatus as defined in claim 2. wherein means is provided for adjusting the movement of said pawl means to control the stroke of each movement of said toothed member relative to said switch.

JOE MOZEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,044,151 Drost Nov. 12, 1912 1,137,399 Goodrum Apr. 27, 1915 1,410,126 Rosendahl Mar. 21, 1922 1,418,969 Plumb June 6, 1922 2,450,323 Williamson Sept. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 282,361 Great Britain June 28, 1928 

